December 30, 2025 • 40 mins
If you care about protein quality, metabolic health, inflammation, and long-term strength, this episode will change the way you shop for meat.
On this episode of Asking for a Friend, Michele Folan pulls back the curtain on the modern meat industry with Cloe Parker, CEO of Parker Pastures, to expose the truth behind misleading meat labels—and why most consumers are unknowingly getting it wrong.
Cloe explains what labels like grass-fed, grass-finished, organic, and Product of the USA really mean—and why up to 85% of grass-fed beef is imported, yet still legally labeled as American. You’ll learn how conventional feedlot practices affect omega-3 to omega-6 ratios, inflammation, nutrient density, and overall protein quality—especially important for women focused on muscle preservation, bone health, and longevity.
In this episode, we cover:
- Grass-fed vs grass-finished: what actually matters
- How grain-fed meat impacts inflammation and metabolic health
- Glyphosate, pesticides, and contaminants in conventional meat
- Why protein quality matters more than quantity
- The truth about chicken, pork, and beef sourcing
- How to shop smarter without chasing perfection
- Why food choices today impact strength, mobility, and independence later in life
Cloe also shares her powerful personal story—stepping into leadership of her family ranch after losing her mother—and how that loss shaped her mission to provide food that heals instead of harms.
This conversation isn’t about fear or food rules. It’s about making informed choices that support strength, energy, and health for decades to come.
🎧 Listen now and learn what your meat label isn’t telling you—and how to choose protein that actually supports your body.
https://parkerpastures.com/
Follow Cloe Parker on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/parkerpasturesgrassfed/
_________________________________________
If you’re doing “all the right things” and still feel stuck, adding a layer of support may be an option. I’ve partnered with a trusted telehealth platform offering modern solutions for women in midlife—including micro-dosed GLP-1 and other peptide therapies.
https://elliemd.com/michelefolan - Create a free account to view all products.
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Like to connect? Email me at askingforafriendpodcast1@gmail.com
Transcripts are created with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.
Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.
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Michele Folan (00:00):
The new year is coming, so let me ask you
something.
Are your goals the same onesyou made last year and maybe the
year before that?
If you're a midlife womannavigating menopause, stubborn
weight gain, bone loss, and lowenergy starting over every
January isn't the problem.
The plan is.
(00:20):
One that needs protein toprotect muscle, strength
training to support bonedensity, and smart nutrition to
keep your metabolism workingwith you, not against you.
Because this isn't aboutlooking good in a dress for one
(00:41):
event.
It's about staying strong,mobile, and independent for
decades to come.
I'm not coaching you for your40s.
I'm coaching you so you're notin a nursing home at 80.
If this is the year you stopchasing skinny and start
building strength for life,welcome to Faster Way.
Check the show notes for moredetails.
(01:03):
Health, wellness, fitness, andeverything in between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michelle Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
Do you really know where yourmeat is coming from?
(01:27):
What do those labels actuallymean, and why are we still being
misled at the grocery store?
Today we're pulling back thecurtain on the modern meat
industry with Cloe Parker, theyoung CEO of Parker Pastures, a
regenerative ranching operationproducing truly grass-fed,
grass-finished, nutrient-densemeat.
Here's the hard truth.
(01:48):
And up to 85% of grass-fed beefis imported.
Yes.
Yet it still is labeled productof the USA.
No wonder consumers areconfused.
Cloe breaks down what'sactually happening behind the
scenes in meat production, whyfeedlot beef can harm the body,
(02:12):
what labels really mean, and howto find meat that heals instead
of in flames.
And her own story of steppinginto leadership after losing her
mom and taking over the familyranch is one to be heard.
If you want to make smarterchoices for your health, your
hormones, and your longevity,this episode is a must-listen.
(02:32):
Cloe Parker, welcome to Askingfor a Friend.
Cloe Parker (02:36):
Thank you so much for having me on.
And that was great intro.
Really, yeah, I think we'regoing to cover all of that and
really just dig into kind of thedirty secrets of our food
industry.
Michele Folan (02:47):
Yeah.
You know, none of this issurprising to me.
You know, we all know thatthere's a lot of mislabeling of
products and where we often getmisled.
But I do want to say, CloeParker, you are the youngest
guest I have ever had on thepodcast.
I think maybe 30s, 40s, maybethe youngest.
(03:10):
So kudos to you for being onthe show.
Wow.
Thank you.
That's such an honor.
Yeah.
And, you know, speaking ofyouth, um, you're incredibly
young to be running aregenerative ranching operation.
Can you share your personalstory, like where you grew up,
your family legacy, and thenabout losing your mom and how
(03:33):
that influenced your decision tostep in and lead your family
business?
Cloe Parker (03:37):
Yeah, absolutely.
When I was like five or six, myparents started Parker
Pastures.
And when they started, it wassimply to provide me and my
younger brothers withnutrient-dense high-quality meat
raised in a way that washealing to the land.
And that they saw that therewas such a demand for other
families to have that sameaccess.
And so in the beginning, we hadall the things like chickens
(04:00):
and pigs and cows and milk cowsand like everything you could
kind of think of.
And like all growing up, I'vealways known that I wanted to be
in agriculture.
And that's like just a hugepassion of mine.
And it's just so fulfilling andchallenging.
And so kind of just growing upin um an agriculture family.
We also have Parker Bash here'sour meat company.
(04:22):
And so it was just like it wasjust kind of all part of growing
up.
And then when I um after Igraduated high school, I had to
get out of my very small townand I went and worked on some
other ranches and just kind ofgaining some other experience.
And then my mom was diagnosedwith cancer and immediately came
back because I was like, Idon't know what else to do, and
(04:42):
I need to help my family.
And so while my mom was goingthrough treatment, I was just
kind of handling all of thebusiness aspects.
And the more that I kind ofjust stepped into that role, the
more I just felt like this is ahuge calling upon my life.
This is like one of the reasonsGod has me on this planet.
And so I right before I turned20, I officially took over.
(05:04):
And then a few months later, mymom went to heaven.
And so that really just likethat was so challenging.
And it really just was like, Irealized how this was not at all
about me.
It was about continuing toprovide families with good,
clean meat.
Cause after watching um my momjust go through cancer and
learning more about our foodsystem and our medical system
(05:27):
and like all of it, I was like,there's so much darkness in
this.
So A, I want to expose thedarkness, and B, I want to
provide something that I know Ican feel good about eating to
other families.
And so yeah, now that's what wewhat we do today.
I work with a select few highlyvetted farms and ranches, and
we provide grass-fed,grass-finished beef, bison,
(05:48):
lamb, pasture-raised chicken,and then pasture-raised turkey.
And yeah, we ship it boxes ofmeat all across the country.
And I mean, it's truly an honorto provide people with good,
good, clean food and to carry onmy mom's legacy.
Michele Folan (06:02):
Well, I love your story.
And first of all, I'm truly,truly sorry about the loss of
your mom that had to beincredibly difficult at such a
young age and to be thrown intoa family business.
Now, are you running thissolely by yourself?
Do you have any help fromanyone else in your family?
It's mainly me.
Cloe Parker (06:24):
And then I have an incredible team around me where
I would have not been able to doany of this without them.
Michele Folan (06:30):
Okay.
Well, good for you.
I I'm really curious though,what did those early days look
like for you emotionally,practically?
And as a woman, let's be frank,you're stepping into a
traditionally male-dominatedindustry.
Cloe Parker (06:47):
Yeah, I mean, it definitely is, but I also maybe
it's just who I've been around,and I think part of it is just
the industry.
I feel like I've been veryblessed with had a lot of
encouragement and a lot ofpeople who have just like built
me up and just gone out of theirway to help me in ways that I
(07:09):
truly didn't expect or know wasgonna happen.
And I mean, building a businessno matter what it is, is really
hard and it's just challenging.
And there's you're just kind oflike building a ship while
learning how to drive the ship.
Yeah.
And then also um, like justlosing my mom of the grief of
all of that.
It was, it was so much, and itreally, it really refined me
(07:31):
into like, okay, why am I doingthis?
Because if I'm doing this formoney, well, that's not gonna
last very long.
And if I'm doing this for myown fame or gain, like that's
not gonna last very long.
And it just became so clearthat this is not about me.
Like, I just want families tohave clean meat, like we should
have food on our table thatheals us, not poisons and harms
(07:52):
us.
And just it didn't take longfor that to just become so
clear.
And that is like the reason Ikeep going.
So it's such a such an honor tohave to be providing that for
people.
Michele Folan (08:04):
Yeah.
And it's you already have amission statement, whether you
realize that or not, yourmission statement is, you know,
to provide families, you know,the the best possible and
healthiest meat.
So I I love that.
And then where is ParkerPastures located exactly?
What does what does home meanto you?
Cloe Parker (08:27):
Yeah, we're um headquarters is in the uh
mountains of Colorado, and thenkind of have a few different
ranches and farms, like I said,that I work with.
So it's kind of a little allover, but that's where I'm
based.
Okay, got it.
Michele Folan (08:42):
And then walk us through a typical day for you.
You know, for those of us thathave only seen ranching on
Yellowstone, what does running aregenerative ranch actually
look like?
Cloe Parker (08:55):
In reality, it actually looks like a lot of
time on the computer.
Um, I've kind of had to stepaway from ranch-related things
to just be on the business side.
Um, and so like it kind oflooks like a lot of just um
meetings and computer stuff andemails and all of that.
Um, and then winter things kindof do slow down.
(09:15):
And whenever I'm able to, likeI love to move cows, I have a
milk cow, and so I have to havemy hands in some kind of
agriculture, but it does looklike a lot of just like um kind
of business stuff, just asrunning a business, which is
something I did not expect withall of this.
Um, but it's kind of it's asacrifice that I would make
again and again.
Michele Folan (09:35):
You know, you you said you've built like a co-op
of like-minded ranchers.
How did that come about?
And I'm really wanting to knowwhat criteria you use to decide
who joins your network.
Cloe Parker (09:49):
Yeah, I realize I can't do everything, I can't do
everything well, but there'speople who can do, I believe we
all have like unique giftingsand things, and so it's like
working with the best of thebest who do it well.
And so yeah, honestly, most ofthese are just kind of like God
connections and things that justcame came forward, and they're
(10:09):
there's just very few ranchesand farms that we work with, and
um, I think the biggest thingis they it's all based on my
mom's standards, and my mom hadreally high standards, um, and
that was the same thing that Iuphold today.
So it's like, okay, everythingis grass-fed and grass finished.
No, there's no pesticides beingsprayed on anything.
No, there's no antibiotics.
(10:30):
The animals are living a lifethat they were designed to live.
Like cows are designed to be onpasture eating grass, so are
chickens, and also just likemeat that I want to eat and I
feel comfortable eating, and Ifeel good eating, because like
if I don't want, if I won't eatit, then I don't want to provide
that to somebody else.
And like grocery store meat,like I don't know any brands
(10:51):
that I can stand for because Idon't feel comfortable eating
any of that.
So I'm not gonna recommendthat.
And so those are just kind ofsome of our standards and things
that we look for.
And also just like, okay, doesit taste really good?
Does it have a lot of flavor?
Because that usually means ithas a lot of nutrients and yeah,
just like looks and smells andtastes like meat is supposed to.
Michele Folan (11:13):
Yeah, well, I'm not sure we all know what meat
is supposed to smell like andtaste like because we most of
us, like me, get it at thegrocery store.
So I'm gonna take a quick breakhere, Cloe.
But when we get back, I do wantto talk about regenerative
ranching and get into this wholegrass-fed, grass finish thing.
(11:36):
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(12:43):
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All right, we're back.
So I did want to hit on thisbecause I I know what you do is
very different.
And you touched a little bit onregenerative ranching, but
explain exactly whatregenerative ranching is.
And then I want to dig intograss-fed versus grass-finished.
Cloe Parker (13:08):
That's a great question.
And honestly, in my experience,depending on who you ask that
question into, there's a lot ofdifferent answers.
But the thing that I keepcoming back to is like, okay,
what is the original design oflike, okay, cows should be on
grass, eating grass.
And also, like, are we healingor harming the land?
(13:28):
And it's like, okay, if we'respraying massive amounts of
chemicals and just likestripping the land, then like,
no, that's not regenerating it.
That's not caring for it well,that's not stewarding it well.
Versus if we are like we'redoing, it's like we're taking
these grazing animals that aredesigned to graze grass and
we're allowing them to grazeacross the landscape and then
(13:50):
allowing that grass to regrowand recover, which it needs to
do, and then they'll graze itagain, and it's like that
natural cycle.
And so, yeah, it's just likestewarding the land well, which
then creates this byproduct ofsuper flavorful, nutrient-dense
meat.
Michele Folan (14:06):
Do we have to worry then about glyphosate
being sprayed on the food sourceof the cows that we're eating
right now?
Cloe Parker (14:19):
Yes, mostly with corn, because most beef is fed
corn, which is highly filledwith like they just spray it
with a lot of things, um,including glyphos, glyphosate.
And so, yeah, like corn-fedbeef.
I've seen different studies,and it's like super high in
glyphosphate and heavy metalsand different things like that,
um, because of what the cattleare eating, mostly because of
(14:41):
the corn and how it's grown.
Michele Folan (14:43):
Okay.
Ugh.
All right.
Now, when something is labeledgrass-fed, what is the standard
for grass-fed?
Cloe Parker (14:53):
Yeah, this one is kind of crazy.
So in 2016, the USDA quitregulating the term grass-fed.
And so there's actually noregulations around it.
Usually, roughly, it means likean animal ate, like a cow,
let's say, ate grass some pointof his or her life.
But like I said, there's noregulations.
(15:13):
So it's really hard to tell theterm grass finished.
Again, not regulated, butgenerally means that an animal
ate grass at the end of itslife, which is good because most
of them eat corn or grain atthe end of their life.
But with both those terms, it'slike they're kind of vague and
it's hard to tell.
And so it's like ideallylooking for something that is
grass-fed, grass finished, or ahundred percent lifetime grazed,
(15:37):
or just like anything whereit's like, okay, that animal
actually spent his entire lifeon pasture eating grass.
Michele Folan (15:43):
Okay.
So your beef is labeledgrass-fed and grace grass
finished, then, correct?
Cloe Parker (15:50):
Correct.
Yeah.
So that what that means is um,since that the day that a baby
is born, for until it isharvested from meat, it is
eating grass.
It's eating a diversity ofdifferent grass plants its
entire life, which is how it wasdesigned to be, and then it
converts that into meat.
Okay.
Michele Folan (16:10):
Would you explain to the audience what a
conventional feedlot is?
Cloe Parker (16:16):
A feedlot is also known as a cafo, which is um
usually a very dense area withwhere they put a lot of cattle
in pins, and then they are fed aration, usually high in corn,
maybe a little bit of hay andsome other things.
And this allows the animals togain weight really, really fast.
(16:40):
It came about, I think, afterWorld War II, when we had all
this abundance of grain.
I was like, okay, well, whatare we gonna do with it?
And then somebody had the ideaof like, well, let's feed it to
cows.
Um, and so like a feedlot isusually for cattle or sheep or
bison.
And then for pork and chicken,it's a little bit worse.
(17:00):
They're in a barn and don't seethe light of day.
There's a lot of animals packedin a in a like not very much
space.
And so that's kind of what itlooks like for pork or chicken.
Michele Folan (17:13):
And then just in terms of animal welfare with
what you do, your cattle is alloutside all the time, or are
they ever inside?
How does that work?
I because I have no clue.
Cloe Parker (17:25):
Um, it's a great question.
Um, they are outside theirentire lives.
Animals are really, reallyhardy, and especially like
cattle, like they can stand allof the different weathers and
all of that.
So they're they're outside umtheir entire life just on
pasture.
Michele Folan (17:44):
All right.
My husband and I were talkingabout this last night, and he
said that something he read wasthat there's like four major
slaughter companies in thecountry, and basically they have
a monopoly on slaughter, andwith that comes probably cost
(18:08):
fixing.
So, do you know anything aboutthat, like in terms of the
pricing of meat and how that'slike these conglomerates who I
hear aren't even usually ownedby Americans, are really
responsible for the majority ofthe meat that we get in our
grocery stores.
Cloe Parker (18:29):
Unfortunately, it is very true.
Over 80% of beef um is, and Ithink it's even worse with
chicken and pork, and it iscontrolled by one of these four
companies.
I think two are American-ownedand two are out of this country.
Um, and yeah, they are there'sum those are that's one of the
(18:51):
things that I like probably needto learn more about, but it's
also so awful that I don't wantto know.
But yeah, there's beendifferent like allegations that
they are price fixing.
Um, and but I think more soit's like if 85% of our beef is
controlled by four companies,then like what does that mean?
(19:13):
It's like our food system isvery instable if something was
to happen to those.
And it's also like easily tocontrol a food system if four
companies are in control of it.
And so beef is one of the kindof last standing um meat
industries that is not fullycontrolled by like one of these
companies.
(19:34):
Um, there's still a smallpercentage, and that's why I
think it's so important that wecontinue just supporting the
people and anyone on the groundwho is small family farms and
ranches because I saw uhsomething recently where it's
like there's only 600 farranches still around, and I
(19:54):
think it's less than 2% of ourpopulation grows food or is in
agriculture.
And so yeah, like who grows ourfood and how it's being grown
is a really big deal.
And it's like I personallydon't want any, I don't want to
have food that is grown by bigcorporations.
Like I want to know who'sgrowing it.
I want to be able to know thatit's grown in a way that I feel
(20:17):
good about and there's not somelike mystery stuff in it.
Michele Folan (20:21):
Okay.
So in my research that I did,it said that 85% of grass-fed,
and I'm saying grass-fed in airquotes, beef is imported, yet
it's labeled product of the USA.
How in God's name is that evenallowed?
Cloe Parker (20:40):
Yeah.
So if um meat is packaged inthe US, it can be labeled as
product of the US, even if itwasn't raised in the US.
I do believe this is being,they're gonna start like, I
don't know, they're gonna startmanaging this a little bit more
in 2026, where it's like peoplewon't be allowed to get away
(21:01):
with this.
But as of right now, that iswhat happens.
Michele Folan (21:05):
So there seems to be a lot of loopholes and
deceptive labeling practicesthat mislead consumers all the
time.
And I I think this is why youand I are talking about this
right now, because I reallydon't think people understand
that that is what they're whatthey're getting.
(21:25):
And I I am you know heartenedto hear that there may be some
changes out there, but will anyof that be like, you know, what
they're doing at these feedlots,you know, environmentally,
ethically, and nutritionally?
Are there any changes that youknow of on the horizon where we
might expect something better, abetter product?
Cloe Parker (21:48):
I think it's really in the consumer's hand.
It's like however we vote, weall vote with our dollar of what
food we want and how we want itgrown.
And so at the end of the day,it's such a grassroots thing
where it's like if there is thedemand, which there's starting
to be a big demand for liketallow or like tallow fries, or
(22:09):
just like all of this uh of likeusing tallow instead of seed
products, um, or there isstarting to be even more and
more interest for likegrass-fed, grass-finished beef,
um, and all those things.
And that's all consumer driven.
And so I I think it's just it'ssuch a grassroots thing.
So the more that the consumerwants that, the more that um
(22:30):
things are able to change andlike the the people that I'm
around, and it's like it's verypositive.
It's like a lot of um just likeexciting stuff of just like
food raised in a way that's justgood food and it's just
healthy, and that is really dueto the demand for it.
And so I think just I hope thatand I think that just as demand
(22:51):
increases, so will the peoplewho will be providing and
meeting that demand.
Michele Folan (22:57):
Yeah.
And then when you and I firstspoke, we talked a little bit
about omegas and the omegaratios and how grain-fed beef
flips them upside down.
Will you address that a littlebit?
Cloe Parker (23:12):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So omega-3 and omega-6 ratio issuper, super important.
And what happens when cattleare fed corn at the end of their
life, or honestly, at any pointof their life, but it's usually
at the end of their life beforethey're harvested, what it does
is it completely elevates theomega-6 ratio, which is the
(23:33):
quote unquote like bad fat.
Um, this is the one that's beenlinked to inflammation and like
all kinds of different things.
And what's crazy is it can belike 15 to 20 to I think even
like 50 per like 50 to 1.
So 50 omega-6s to one omega-3.
And we want that as balanced aspossible.
(23:54):
And like our beef, we're veryclose to that balanced of like
one to one or one point two toone, and it's like very close
kind of.
Um, I believe like wild caughtsalmon is like a very similar,
and it's like we want that asbalanced as possible.
But with cattle eating a dietthat they're not designed to, it
actually kind of makes themobese and inflamed.
(24:16):
And then we eat that, and thatdefinitely affects our health.
Michele Folan (24:20):
You know, this is kind of a wake-up call for all
of us, because if the cows orcattle are, you know, have this
out of balance ratio, we'regonna have that too.
If not just eating the cattle,but what we eat, you know, if
we're eating all that stuff forthe word, that's not gonna help
(24:41):
us at all, right?
Cloe Parker (24:42):
No, not at all.
And it's like that saying oflike, you are what you eat, but
you're also what you eat eats.
Michele Folan (24:48):
And then there was the other thing that I found
that about contaminants like ummycotoxins from moldy grain,
glyphosate residues, or evenheavy metal accumulation.
How do these make their wayinto conventional beef?
Cloe Parker (25:05):
Um, it's mostly in feedlots and in that corn.
Um, how most corn is grown, um,it's about the size of
California, the state ofCalifornia each year is how much
corn America grows.
And it's um a highly sprayed umcrop.
Um, I think there's over abillion pounds of pesticides
sprayed in America for likecrops or lawns or different
(25:29):
things.
And so, and then the animal iseating that, and that completely
just it affects the animal.
And like we were just talkingabout, that eventually affects
us because then we're eating it.
Michele Folan (25:40):
If I were to buy meat that said organic, would
that protect me at all againstglyphosate?
Cloe Parker (25:48):
Based on the like what they require for organic
and if someone is actuallyfollowing the laws, possibly,
but they can also use otherchemicals, even if they're and
they're more like quote unquoteorganic.
And so I don't know, the morethat I've just learned about
labels, the less and lessconfident I am in them.
(26:08):
And so that's why I'm like, Iwould just encourage to ask a
lot of questions and also likewhat does it taste like?
What does it like look like,smell like?
So let's take beef for example.
Like most beef at the store,it's gonna be a bright red
color, and that is because ofhow it's packaged, um, usually
(26:29):
something called modified atmosatmospheric packaging, and that
takes carbon my di carbondioxide um and other gases, and
it is able to package it so thatbecause when meat is exposed to
air, it oxidizes and usuallyturns brown.
And so this kind of reverses itso it turns this bright red.
(26:50):
And beef is actually more oflike good beef, it's like a ruby
red color, and then the fatshould be a yellow color, not a
white color.
Most beef you'll notice instores is a white color, and
that's because again, whenthey're fed corn, it actually
changes the color of the fat umand it makes it super white.
And so we want beef that is aruby red color and is like a
(27:14):
yellow fat because that's due tothe beta carotene in the grass
that the animals are eating.
It kind of just changes thisfat into a yellow-ish color.
And so, like, those are somethings that I would look for.
Um, and then also like justasking questions.
That's why I personallyrecommend like going to like if
there's a local farm or rancherin your area or ordering online
(27:36):
to park your pastures where it'slike you can ask all the
questions too, because that justhelps a lot versus like a
label.
You can't really ask questionswhen you're at the store.
Michele Folan (27:47):
All right.
There are cost implications tobuying beef from a rancher or a
regenerative, you know, farmlike yours.
And I I think there's sometrade-offs there.
So, but we have to we have tobe honest, we got to call it out
for what it is.
It's gonna be more expensive tobuy better quality meat.
(28:10):
So if I am trying to be a verydiscriminating buyer, would you
opt to buy your meat from likeyour beef from a regenerative
farm and then the rest maybejust try to source it the best
you can from you know, grocerystore in your local places?
(28:32):
I mean, because it would behard to buy everything from a
regenerative ranch.
Cloe Parker (28:39):
I would honestly recommend leaving beef on the
last.
I know mostly we've beentalking about beef, um, but pork
and chicken are actually onesthat are way worse than beef,
mostly because of how they'reraised.
And um they it's there's beenlike I think Sustainable Dish
has done some different studiesand like beef, even if it's
(29:00):
feedlot beef, it's gonna bebetter than processed foods.
And it's usually like okay, notideal, but okay.
But chicken and pork,definitely not.
Um, for one, it's dunked in achlorine bath um at processing.
Um, and that chicken can absorbup to 20% of that water, or it
can be injected with water.
Um, and so like on packaging,look for anything that says
(29:24):
usually a number and thenpercent retained water ins.
Do not buy that because that iswhat is happening to that.
Um, also, chicken, like they,if they're in confinement, it is
just like there's just nohealth benefits to that chicken
at all.
Um, versus beef, most cattleactually do spend the most of
their life on grass, and thenthe end of their life, um, they
(29:46):
go into a feed yacht lot.
And like that does affect themeat, but it's also gonna be a
cleaner meat because thoseanimals, cattle do have four
stomachs, and it's just gonna bea little bit of a cleaner meat.
So I would recommend um, well,first it's like, okay, what
really matters?
And good food affects ourhealth so much.
(30:08):
And so it's like I view it asan investment of like, okay,
what am I gonna invest in?
And I want to invest in myhealth.
Like, I want to feel well.
I want to not have a bunch ofmedical bills down the line, but
I want to feel that well.
And so it's like, I'm gonnainvest in good food.
And then there is ways to do itcost effective.
Um, usually, like buying inbulk is a great option.
(30:29):
Maybe that's buying a half orwhole cow.
Yeah, it's a lot of meat, butyou can split it with friends or
however that looks.
Um, but that's gonna be themost um economical way because
you get everything for the sameprice per pound, and it's gonna
be the lowest price per pound.
Um and yeah, I would um I'drecommend poultry and pork.
(30:52):
Okay.
Getting those from sources thatyou can trust and vouch for,
and then beef, like again,buying in bulk is a great
option.
Um and yeah, and just like itis a it is a worthwhile
investment.
Michele Folan (31:07):
All right, I went back up to chicken because God
knows we eat a lot of chicken.
And sometimes I can getair-chilled chicken.
Is that going to be better thanthe stuff that does not say
air-chilled?
Cloe Parker (31:24):
Yes, absolutely.
Yeah.
So kind of the different waysthat chicken is processed is
it's either air-chilled, whichis ideal, or it's run through um
a usually it's bleach, but theylike put it in a chemical bath
because it's high in E.
coli salmonilla, and so they'retrying to kill the
contaminants.
And that's usually why it'slike pasteurease or something
(31:44):
like that.
You'll see air-chilled, orsometimes it can be run through
a bath that does not containchemicals.
And so usually if you'relooking at grocery store and
labels, air chilled is gonna bemost ideal because it's also
it's also gonna be moreaffordable because they're
charged chicken by the pound.
And so if it's containing allthis water weight, you're paying
(32:07):
for the water weight.
Michele Folan (32:08):
Ah, okay.
That's good to know.
And I've been told by otherpeople that the pork industry in
itself is very dirty.
Like the the for processing andeverything is just kind of
gross.
So I appreciate what you saidabout pork.
Be very discriminating aboutwhere you're getting your pork.
(32:31):
So that's very interesting.
Cloe Parker (32:34):
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, making sure it's likepasture-raised and yeah, just
kind of pasture-raised or well,actually that, and then
sometimes you can have itwithout corn or soy.
That's a little harder to find,a little more pricey.
But ideally, yeah, it's bareminimum is like pasteurised, and
(32:55):
then kind of from there,there's different things.
But yeah, pork is definitelyone of those ones that can be
very gross.
Michele Folan (33:02):
I'm like, I have no, no pork in my house right
now.
So actually, we've got a poundof bacon, but I've been eating
very, very little pork.
Actually, in anticipation forthis conversation, I'm like, I
just can't, I just can't pullthe trigger on buying pork right
now.
So see, you've already, you'vealready tainted my my whole
(33:25):
shopping experience and what I'mbuying at the grocery store.
This is so funny.
I do have a huge freezer in thebasement that is typically
empty.
My husband bought this hugefreezer chest, oh gosh, four
years ago.
And every once in a while theremight be a couple steaks in
there that, you know, he'svacuum-packed or whatever, but
(33:46):
we definitely have anopportunity to probably fill it,
fill it up with some bettermeat than what we've been
buying.
I do want to know, Cloe, whatis your biggest hope for the
future of the meat packingindustry?
And and what role do consumersplay in creating that shift?
Cloe Parker (34:03):
Hmm, it's a great question.
I mean, I really hope we justgo back to like the way food is
designed to be.
And it's like, that is wholereal foods, that is beef from a
cow that ate grass, and justlike really back to just like
good foods.
Um, because 60% of the averageAmerican diet's from processed
foods, and there's just so manyharmful things to that.
(34:25):
And I think at the end of theday, um, it's all what we each
choose to do.
And I think also it's like foodis such a it's such a gathering
thing.
It like brings us together.
Um, and so it's like, well,what if what if we fed people
how we want to be fed?
And it's like, I want to feed,like, I want to be fed really
(34:46):
good food.
So the people I have around me,I'm gonna feed them really good
food.
Like my Christmas gifts thisyear, um, well, it does help I
have a meat company, but I'mliterally giving everybody meat
um because A, it's likesomething that we all usually
eat is meat, and it's such agood, useful gift, and it will
(35:07):
be enjoyed, but I also knowit'll like bring health to their
life.
And so, yeah, it's just like,how do we get back to just like
beef from a cow that ate grassor food grown in a garden or um
carrots with still a little bitof dirt on them from a farmer's
market or just whatever thatlooks like?
Um, and I think that's a choicethat we all get to vote on when
(35:28):
we go and buy food.
Michele Folan (35:30):
Yeah.
And you know, I try not to gettoo crazy, you know, about my
food in in terms of, you know, Ican only worry about so much
during my day, but there aresome things that I always,
always, always buy organicberries, apples.
You know, you can go to thedirty dozen and the clean 13 or
(35:53):
whatever, whatever, clean 16,whatever.
But they but you know, thatthey have the the list that you
can pull from, and that'shelpful, right?
So that that that you can startthere.
You can start by maybe buyingair chilled chicken, right?
Knowing where your pork comesfrom.
And then certainly, I thinkthere is a huge benefit to
(36:16):
checking out Parker Pastures ora local rancher in your area, go
go talk to them, you know, getonline, do a search, find those
people.
Because I I think there's, youknow, an opportunity here, not
just about eating healthy, butalso supporting family
businesses.
Well, we we all talk aboutshopping local, but you know,
(36:38):
we've got these familybusinesses that are out there do
trying to do things right.
And I I love what you're doing.
I really do.
And on that note, if I were toorder products from you, how do
you like how do you ship it?
Because it's coming fromColorado to Cincinnati, Ohio.
Tell me a little bit about thatprocess.
Cloe Parker (37:01):
It's a great question.
Um, yeah, so everything isgonna come in an insulated box
and all the meat will be frozen,and then we use dry ice to keep
it frozen.
Usually it's evaporated by thetime it gets to you.
Um, and we just use UPS.
So usually um we ship earlierin the week so it gets there and
doesn't get there and sitovernight on the weekend.
(37:23):
Um, and usually we'll arrivewithin two to three days um
after we ship, and so supereasy.
And then plus, you don't evenhave to go to the store, you
just get a box of meat justdelivered to your door, yeah,
and it's frozen, and so it'sjust super, super easy, is also
kind of what we try to do aswell, um, and just eliminate a
lot of the a lot of thevariables um to just make it
(37:46):
really easy.
Michele Folan (37:46):
All right, and then I have a question for you,
Cloe.
This is more of a personalquestion.
You're busy, you're busy, youngwoman.
How do you find balance?
And what is one of yourself-care non-negotiables?
What's something that you dofor yourself every day?
Cloe Parker (38:03):
The first one that comes to mind is I eat a lot of
meat.
I don't know why.
I think I mean everyone's we'reall of our bodies are
different, but I know I'msomeone who needs a lot of
protein.
And so it's like, okay, if Iget just some red meat in the
day, and like that's kind of myfoundation, um, I know that I'm
gonna have better energy andjust gonna feel better.
(38:25):
And the other, like the biggestthing for me um is just um my
faith and just that this is thislife is really short um and
eternity is long, and I Ibelieve in Jesus.
And so I know that because ofthat, I've been there's a lot of
things I'm called to stewardand do.
(38:45):
One of that is Parker Pastures,and there's been a lot of times
that it almost could havecrumbled, but supernaturally it
didn't.
And so I think my faith isreally what what keeps me um
solid, because also it can itcan be a lot.
Um, and so that's somethingthat helps me not go nuts.
And I also know like if I eat abunch of sugar or something
(39:06):
like that, it's just it's justnot gonna really help anything.
So I think those are those aresome of them.
Michele Folan (39:11):
Well, as a as a health coach of midlife women, I
you know, I encourage them allto get at least a hundred to 110
grams of protein a day.
And you know, for some it itcan be really hard, but you're
lucky you've got you've got itright there, always available,
and you've got the best, thebest in the world.
(39:33):
I I can only assume.
All right, Cloe Parker, wherecan the listeners find Parker
Pastures and order your productsand learn more about your ranch
and your mission?
Cloe Parker (39:43):
Parkerpastures.com.
Um, we have grass fed beef,grass fed bison, grass fed lamb,
pasture-raised chicken.
And you can order all of thatonline.
Um, we have pretty much everyoption you could think of, and
we will deliver it straight toyour door.
And then um if you kind of wantTo hear more dirty secrets.
And um I've been recently likegoing to grocery stores and kind
(40:05):
of debunking labels.
So Parker Pastures Grass Fed onInstagram is kind of more
education.
Michele Folan (40:12):
Okay.
Oh, that's great.
I'll check that out.
I didn't I didn't know that.
Ah, you you know I'm gonna beon that as soon as we uh get off
this call.
Oh, Cloe Parker, this wasreally informative, super
interesting, and I certainlywish you the best in your
business.
Thank you so much, and thankyou for having me on.
(40:34):
Thank you for listening.
Please rate and review thepodcast where you listen.
And if you'd like to join theAsking for a Friend community,
click on the link in the shownotes to sign up for my weekly
newsletter where I share midlifewellness and fitness tips,
insights, my favorite finds, andrecipes.
The new year is coming, so let me ask you
something.
Are your goals the same onesyou made last year and maybe the
year before that?
If you're a midlife womannavigating menopause, stubborn
weight gain, bone loss, and lowenergy starting over every
January isn't the problem.
The plan is.
(00:20):
One that needs protein toprotect muscle, strength
training to support bonedensity, and smart nutrition to
keep your metabolism workingwith you, not against you.
Because this isn't aboutlooking good in a dress for one
(00:41):
event.
It's about staying strong,mobile, and independent for
decades to come.
I'm not coaching you for your40s.
I'm coaching you so you're notin a nursing home at 80.
If this is the year you stopchasing skinny and start
building strength for life,welcome to Faster Way.
Check the show notes for moredetails.
(01:03):
Health, wellness, fitness, andeverything in between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michelle Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
Do you really know where yourmeat is coming from?
(01:27):
What do those labels actuallymean, and why are we still being
misled at the grocery store?
Today we're pulling back thecurtain on the modern meat
industry with Cloe Parker, theyoung CEO of Parker Pastures, a
regenerative ranching operationproducing truly grass-fed,
grass-finished, nutrient-densemeat.
Here's the hard truth.
(01:48):
And up to 85% of grass-fed beefis imported.
Yes.
Yet it still is labeled productof the USA.
No wonder consumers areconfused.
Cloe breaks down what'sactually happening behind the
scenes in meat production, whyfeedlot beef can harm the body,
(02:12):
what labels really mean, and howto find meat that heals instead
of in flames.
And her own story of steppinginto leadership after losing her
mom and taking over the familyranch is one to be heard.
If you want to make smarterchoices for your health, your
hormones, and your longevity,this episode is a must-listen.
(02:32):
Cloe Parker, welcome to Askingfor a Friend.
Cloe Parker (02:36):
Thank you so much for having me on.
And that was great intro.
Really, yeah, I think we'regoing to cover all of that and
really just dig into kind of thedirty secrets of our food
industry.
Michele Folan (02:47):
Yeah.
You know, none of this issurprising to me.
You know, we all know thatthere's a lot of mislabeling of
products and where we often getmisled.
But I do want to say, CloeParker, you are the youngest
guest I have ever had on thepodcast.
I think maybe 30s, 40s, maybethe youngest.
(03:10):
So kudos to you for being onthe show.
Wow.
Thank you.
That's such an honor.
Yeah.
And, you know, speaking ofyouth, um, you're incredibly
young to be running aregenerative ranching operation.
Can you share your personalstory, like where you grew up,
your family legacy, and thenabout losing your mom and how
(03:33):
that influenced your decision tostep in and lead your family
business?
Cloe Parker (03:37):
Yeah, absolutely.
When I was like five or six, myparents started Parker
Pastures.
And when they started, it wassimply to provide me and my
younger brothers withnutrient-dense high-quality meat
raised in a way that washealing to the land.
And that they saw that therewas such a demand for other
families to have that sameaccess.
And so in the beginning, we hadall the things like chickens
(04:00):
and pigs and cows and milk cowsand like everything you could
kind of think of.
And like all growing up, I'vealways known that I wanted to be
in agriculture.
And that's like just a hugepassion of mine.
And it's just so fulfilling andchallenging.
And so kind of just growing upin um an agriculture family.
We also have Parker Bash here'sour meat company.
(04:22):
And so it was just like it wasjust kind of all part of growing
up.
And then when I um after Igraduated high school, I had to
get out of my very small townand I went and worked on some
other ranches and just kind ofgaining some other experience.
And then my mom was diagnosedwith cancer and immediately came
back because I was like, Idon't know what else to do, and
(04:42):
I need to help my family.
And so while my mom was goingthrough treatment, I was just
kind of handling all of thebusiness aspects.
And the more that I kind ofjust stepped into that role, the
more I just felt like this is ahuge calling upon my life.
This is like one of the reasonsGod has me on this planet.
And so I right before I turned20, I officially took over.
(05:04):
And then a few months later, mymom went to heaven.
And so that really just likethat was so challenging.
And it really just was like, Irealized how this was not at all
about me.
It was about continuing toprovide families with good,
clean meat.
Cause after watching um my momjust go through cancer and
learning more about our foodsystem and our medical system
(05:27):
and like all of it, I was like,there's so much darkness in
this.
So A, I want to expose thedarkness, and B, I want to
provide something that I know Ican feel good about eating to
other families.
And so yeah, now that's what wewhat we do today.
I work with a select few highlyvetted farms and ranches, and
we provide grass-fed,grass-finished beef, bison,
(05:48):
lamb, pasture-raised chicken,and then pasture-raised turkey.
And yeah, we ship it boxes ofmeat all across the country.
And I mean, it's truly an honorto provide people with good,
good, clean food and to carry onmy mom's legacy.
Michele Folan (06:02):
Well, I love your story.
And first of all, I'm truly,truly sorry about the loss of
your mom that had to beincredibly difficult at such a
young age and to be thrown intoa family business.
Now, are you running thissolely by yourself?
Do you have any help fromanyone else in your family?
It's mainly me.
Cloe Parker (06:24):
And then I have an incredible team around me where
I would have not been able to doany of this without them.
Michele Folan (06:30):
Okay.
Well, good for you.
I I'm really curious though,what did those early days look
like for you emotionally,practically?
And as a woman, let's be frank,you're stepping into a
traditionally male-dominatedindustry.
Cloe Parker (06:47):
Yeah, I mean, it definitely is, but I also maybe
it's just who I've been around,and I think part of it is just
the industry.
I feel like I've been veryblessed with had a lot of
encouragement and a lot ofpeople who have just like built
me up and just gone out of theirway to help me in ways that I
(07:09):
truly didn't expect or know wasgonna happen.
And I mean, building a businessno matter what it is, is really
hard and it's just challenging.
And there's you're just kind oflike building a ship while
learning how to drive the ship.
Yeah.
And then also um, like justlosing my mom of the grief of
all of that.
It was, it was so much, and itreally, it really refined me
(07:31):
into like, okay, why am I doingthis?
Because if I'm doing this formoney, well, that's not gonna
last very long.
And if I'm doing this for myown fame or gain, like that's
not gonna last very long.
And it just became so clearthat this is not about me.
Like, I just want families tohave clean meat, like we should
have food on our table thatheals us, not poisons and harms
(07:52):
us.
And just it didn't take longfor that to just become so
clear.
And that is like the reason Ikeep going.
So it's such a such an honor tohave to be providing that for
people.
Michele Folan (08:04):
Yeah.
And it's you already have amission statement, whether you
realize that or not, yourmission statement is, you know,
to provide families, you know,the the best possible and
healthiest meat.
So I I love that.
And then where is ParkerPastures located exactly?
What does what does home meanto you?
Cloe Parker (08:27):
Yeah, we're um headquarters is in the uh
mountains of Colorado, and thenkind of have a few different
ranches and farms, like I said,that I work with.
So it's kind of a little allover, but that's where I'm
based.
Okay, got it.
Michele Folan (08:42):
And then walk us through a typical day for you.
You know, for those of us thathave only seen ranching on
Yellowstone, what does running aregenerative ranch actually
look like?
Cloe Parker (08:55):
In reality, it actually looks like a lot of
time on the computer.
Um, I've kind of had to stepaway from ranch-related things
to just be on the business side.
Um, and so like it kind oflooks like a lot of just um
meetings and computer stuff andemails and all of that.
Um, and then winter things kindof do slow down.
(09:15):
And whenever I'm able to, likeI love to move cows, I have a
milk cow, and so I have to havemy hands in some kind of
agriculture, but it does looklike a lot of just like um kind
of business stuff, just asrunning a business, which is
something I did not expect withall of this.
Um, but it's kind of it's asacrifice that I would make
again and again.
Michele Folan (09:35):
You know, you you said you've built like a co-op
of like-minded ranchers.
How did that come about?
And I'm really wanting to knowwhat criteria you use to decide
who joins your network.
Cloe Parker (09:49):
Yeah, I realize I can't do everything, I can't do
everything well, but there'speople who can do, I believe we
all have like unique giftingsand things, and so it's like
working with the best of thebest who do it well.
And so yeah, honestly, most ofthese are just kind of like God
connections and things that justcame came forward, and they're
(10:09):
there's just very few ranchesand farms that we work with, and
um, I think the biggest thingis they it's all based on my
mom's standards, and my mom hadreally high standards, um, and
that was the same thing that Iuphold today.
So it's like, okay, everythingis grass-fed and grass finished.
No, there's no pesticides beingsprayed on anything.
No, there's no antibiotics.
(10:30):
The animals are living a lifethat they were designed to live.
Like cows are designed to be onpasture eating grass, so are
chickens, and also just likemeat that I want to eat and I
feel comfortable eating, and Ifeel good eating, because like
if I don't want, if I won't eatit, then I don't want to provide
that to somebody else.
And like grocery store meat,like I don't know any brands
(10:51):
that I can stand for because Idon't feel comfortable eating
any of that.
So I'm not gonna recommendthat.
And so those are just kind ofsome of our standards and things
that we look for.
And also just like, okay, doesit taste really good?
Does it have a lot of flavor?
Because that usually means ithas a lot of nutrients and yeah,
just like looks and smells andtastes like meat is supposed to.
Michele Folan (11:13):
Yeah, well, I'm not sure we all know what meat
is supposed to smell like andtaste like because we most of
us, like me, get it at thegrocery store.
So I'm gonna take a quick breakhere, Cloe.
But when we get back, I do wantto talk about regenerative
ranching and get into this wholegrass-fed, grass finish thing.
(11:36):
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(11:56):
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(12:43):
through the link in the shownotes.
All right, we're back.
So I did want to hit on thisbecause I I know what you do is
very different.
And you touched a little bit onregenerative ranching, but
explain exactly whatregenerative ranching is.
And then I want to dig intograss-fed versus grass-finished.
Cloe Parker (13:08):
That's a great question.
And honestly, in my experience,depending on who you ask that
question into, there's a lot ofdifferent answers.
But the thing that I keepcoming back to is like, okay,
what is the original design oflike, okay, cows should be on
grass, eating grass.
And also, like, are we healingor harming the land?
(13:28):
And it's like, okay, if we'respraying massive amounts of
chemicals and just likestripping the land, then like,
no, that's not regenerating it.
That's not caring for it well,that's not stewarding it well.
Versus if we are like we'redoing, it's like we're taking
these grazing animals that aredesigned to graze grass and
we're allowing them to grazeacross the landscape and then
(13:50):
allowing that grass to regrowand recover, which it needs to
do, and then they'll graze itagain, and it's like that
natural cycle.
And so, yeah, it's just likestewarding the land well, which
then creates this byproduct ofsuper flavorful, nutrient-dense
meat.
Michele Folan (14:06):
Do we have to worry then about glyphosate
being sprayed on the food sourceof the cows that we're eating
right now?
Cloe Parker (14:19):
Yes, mostly with corn, because most beef is fed
corn, which is highly filledwith like they just spray it
with a lot of things, um,including glyphos, glyphosate.
And so, yeah, like corn-fedbeef.
I've seen different studies,and it's like super high in
glyphosphate and heavy metalsand different things like that,
um, because of what the cattleare eating, mostly because of
(14:41):
the corn and how it's grown.
Michele Folan (14:43):
Okay.
Ugh.
All right.
Now, when something is labeledgrass-fed, what is the standard
for grass-fed?
Cloe Parker (14:53):
Yeah, this one is kind of crazy.
So in 2016, the USDA quitregulating the term grass-fed.
And so there's actually noregulations around it.
Usually, roughly, it means likean animal ate, like a cow,
let's say, ate grass some pointof his or her life.
But like I said, there's noregulations.
(15:13):
So it's really hard to tell theterm grass finished.
Again, not regulated, butgenerally means that an animal
ate grass at the end of itslife, which is good because most
of them eat corn or grain atthe end of their life.
But with both those terms, it'slike they're kind of vague and
it's hard to tell.
And so it's like ideallylooking for something that is
grass-fed, grass finished, or ahundred percent lifetime grazed,
(15:37):
or just like anything whereit's like, okay, that animal
actually spent his entire lifeon pasture eating grass.
Michele Folan (15:43):
Okay.
So your beef is labeledgrass-fed and grace grass
finished, then, correct?
Cloe Parker (15:50):
Correct.
Yeah.
So that what that means is um,since that the day that a baby
is born, for until it isharvested from meat, it is
eating grass.
It's eating a diversity ofdifferent grass plants its
entire life, which is how it wasdesigned to be, and then it
converts that into meat.
Okay.
Michele Folan (16:10):
Would you explain to the audience what a
conventional feedlot is?
Cloe Parker (16:16):
A feedlot is also known as a cafo, which is um
usually a very dense area withwhere they put a lot of cattle
in pins, and then they are fed aration, usually high in corn,
maybe a little bit of hay andsome other things.
And this allows the animals togain weight really, really fast.
(16:40):
It came about, I think, afterWorld War II, when we had all
this abundance of grain.
I was like, okay, well, whatare we gonna do with it?
And then somebody had the ideaof like, well, let's feed it to
cows.
Um, and so like a feedlot isusually for cattle or sheep or
bison.
And then for pork and chicken,it's a little bit worse.
(17:00):
They're in a barn and don't seethe light of day.
There's a lot of animals packedin a in a like not very much
space.
And so that's kind of what itlooks like for pork or chicken.
Michele Folan (17:13):
And then just in terms of animal welfare with
what you do, your cattle is alloutside all the time, or are
they ever inside?
How does that work?
I because I have no clue.
Cloe Parker (17:25):
Um, it's a great question.
Um, they are outside theirentire lives.
Animals are really, reallyhardy, and especially like
cattle, like they can stand allof the different weathers and
all of that.
So they're they're outside umtheir entire life just on
pasture.
Michele Folan (17:44):
All right.
My husband and I were talkingabout this last night, and he
said that something he read wasthat there's like four major
slaughter companies in thecountry, and basically they have
a monopoly on slaughter, andwith that comes probably cost
(18:08):
fixing.
So, do you know anything aboutthat, like in terms of the
pricing of meat and how that'slike these conglomerates who I
hear aren't even usually ownedby Americans, are really
responsible for the majority ofthe meat that we get in our
grocery stores.
Cloe Parker (18:29):
Unfortunately, it is very true.
Over 80% of beef um is, and Ithink it's even worse with
chicken and pork, and it iscontrolled by one of these four
companies.
I think two are American-ownedand two are out of this country.
Um, and yeah, they are there'sum those are that's one of the
(18:51):
things that I like probably needto learn more about, but it's
also so awful that I don't wantto know.
But yeah, there's beendifferent like allegations that
they are price fixing.
Um, and but I think more soit's like if 85% of our beef is
controlled by four companies,then like what does that mean?
(19:13):
It's like our food system isvery instable if something was
to happen to those.
And it's also like easily tocontrol a food system if four
companies are in control of it.
And so beef is one of the kindof last standing um meat
industries that is not fullycontrolled by like one of these
companies.
(19:34):
Um, there's still a smallpercentage, and that's why I
think it's so important that wecontinue just supporting the
people and anyone on the groundwho is small family farms and
ranches because I saw uhsomething recently where it's
like there's only 600 farranches still around, and I
(19:54):
think it's less than 2% of ourpopulation grows food or is in
agriculture.
And so yeah, like who grows ourfood and how it's being grown
is a really big deal.
And it's like I personallydon't want any, I don't want to
have food that is grown by bigcorporations.
Like I want to know who'sgrowing it.
I want to be able to know thatit's grown in a way that I feel
(20:17):
good about and there's not somelike mystery stuff in it.
Michele Folan (20:21):
Okay.
So in my research that I did,it said that 85% of grass-fed,
and I'm saying grass-fed in airquotes, beef is imported, yet
it's labeled product of the USA.
How in God's name is that evenallowed?
Cloe Parker (20:40):
Yeah.
So if um meat is packaged inthe US, it can be labeled as
product of the US, even if itwasn't raised in the US.
I do believe this is being,they're gonna start like, I
don't know, they're gonna startmanaging this a little bit more
in 2026, where it's like peoplewon't be allowed to get away
(21:01):
with this.
But as of right now, that iswhat happens.
Michele Folan (21:05):
So there seems to be a lot of loopholes and
deceptive labeling practicesthat mislead consumers all the
time.
And I I think this is why youand I are talking about this
right now, because I reallydon't think people understand
that that is what they're whatthey're getting.
(21:25):
And I I am you know heartenedto hear that there may be some
changes out there, but will anyof that be like, you know, what
they're doing at these feedlots,you know, environmentally,
ethically, and nutritionally?
Are there any changes that youknow of on the horizon where we
might expect something better, abetter product?
Cloe Parker (21:48):
I think it's really in the consumer's hand.
It's like however we vote, weall vote with our dollar of what
food we want and how we want itgrown.
And so at the end of the day,it's such a grassroots thing
where it's like if there is thedemand, which there's starting
to be a big demand for liketallow or like tallow fries, or
(22:09):
just like all of this uh of likeusing tallow instead of seed
products, um, or there isstarting to be even more and
more interest for likegrass-fed, grass-finished beef,
um, and all those things.
And that's all consumer driven.
And so I I think it's just it'ssuch a grassroots thing.
So the more that the consumerwants that, the more that um
(22:30):
things are able to change andlike the the people that I'm
around, and it's like it's verypositive.
It's like a lot of um just likeexciting stuff of just like
food raised in a way that's justgood food and it's just
healthy, and that is really dueto the demand for it.
And so I think just I hope thatand I think that just as demand
(22:51):
increases, so will the peoplewho will be providing and
meeting that demand.
Michele Folan (22:57):
Yeah.
And then when you and I firstspoke, we talked a little bit
about omegas and the omegaratios and how grain-fed beef
flips them upside down.
Will you address that a littlebit?
Cloe Parker (23:12):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So omega-3 and omega-6 ratio issuper, super important.
And what happens when cattleare fed corn at the end of their
life, or honestly, at any pointof their life, but it's usually
at the end of their life beforethey're harvested, what it does
is it completely elevates theomega-6 ratio, which is the
(23:33):
quote unquote like bad fat.
Um, this is the one that's beenlinked to inflammation and like
all kinds of different things.
And what's crazy is it can belike 15 to 20 to I think even
like 50 per like 50 to 1.
So 50 omega-6s to one omega-3.
And we want that as balanced aspossible.
(23:54):
And like our beef, we're veryclose to that balanced of like
one to one or one point two toone, and it's like very close
kind of.
Um, I believe like wild caughtsalmon is like a very similar,
and it's like we want that asbalanced as possible.
But with cattle eating a dietthat they're not designed to, it
actually kind of makes themobese and inflamed.
(24:16):
And then we eat that, and thatdefinitely affects our health.
Michele Folan (24:20):
You know, this is kind of a wake-up call for all
of us, because if the cows orcattle are, you know, have this
out of balance ratio, we'regonna have that too.
If not just eating the cattle,but what we eat, you know, if
we're eating all that stuff forthe word, that's not gonna help
(24:41):
us at all, right?
Cloe Parker (24:42):
No, not at all.
And it's like that saying oflike, you are what you eat, but
you're also what you eat eats.
Michele Folan (24:48):
And then there was the other thing that I found
that about contaminants like ummycotoxins from moldy grain,
glyphosate residues, or evenheavy metal accumulation.
How do these make their wayinto conventional beef?
Cloe Parker (25:05):
Um, it's mostly in feedlots and in that corn.
Um, how most corn is grown, um,it's about the size of
California, the state ofCalifornia each year is how much
corn America grows.
And it's um a highly sprayed umcrop.
Um, I think there's over abillion pounds of pesticides
sprayed in America for likecrops or lawns or different
(25:29):
things.
And so, and then the animal iseating that, and that completely
just it affects the animal.
And like we were just talkingabout, that eventually affects
us because then we're eating it.
Michele Folan (25:40):
If I were to buy meat that said organic, would
that protect me at all againstglyphosate?
Cloe Parker (25:48):
Based on the like what they require for organic
and if someone is actuallyfollowing the laws, possibly,
but they can also use otherchemicals, even if they're and
they're more like quote unquoteorganic.
And so I don't know, the morethat I've just learned about
labels, the less and lessconfident I am in them.
(26:08):
And so that's why I'm like, Iwould just encourage to ask a
lot of questions and also likewhat does it taste like?
What does it like look like,smell like?
So let's take beef for example.
Like most beef at the store,it's gonna be a bright red
color, and that is because ofhow it's packaged, um, usually
(26:29):
something called modified atmosatmospheric packaging, and that
takes carbon my di carbondioxide um and other gases, and
it is able to package it so thatbecause when meat is exposed to
air, it oxidizes and usuallyturns brown.
And so this kind of reverses itso it turns this bright red.
(26:50):
And beef is actually more oflike good beef, it's like a ruby
red color, and then the fatshould be a yellow color, not a
white color.
Most beef you'll notice instores is a white color, and
that's because again, whenthey're fed corn, it actually
changes the color of the fat umand it makes it super white.
And so we want beef that is aruby red color and is like a
(27:14):
yellow fat because that's due tothe beta carotene in the grass
that the animals are eating.
It kind of just changes thisfat into a yellow-ish color.
And so, like, those are somethings that I would look for.
Um, and then also like justasking questions.
That's why I personallyrecommend like going to like if
there's a local farm or rancherin your area or ordering online
(27:36):
to park your pastures where it'slike you can ask all the
questions too, because that justhelps a lot versus like a
label.
You can't really ask questionswhen you're at the store.
Michele Folan (27:47):
All right.
There are cost implications tobuying beef from a rancher or a
regenerative, you know, farmlike yours.
And I I think there's sometrade-offs there.
So, but we have to we have tobe honest, we got to call it out
for what it is.
It's gonna be more expensive tobuy better quality meat.
(28:10):
So if I am trying to be a verydiscriminating buyer, would you
opt to buy your meat from likeyour beef from a regenerative
farm and then the rest maybejust try to source it the best
you can from you know, grocerystore in your local places?
(28:32):
I mean, because it would behard to buy everything from a
regenerative ranch.
Cloe Parker (28:39):
I would honestly recommend leaving beef on the
last.
I know mostly we've beentalking about beef, um, but pork
and chicken are actually onesthat are way worse than beef,
mostly because of how they'reraised.
And um they it's there's beenlike I think Sustainable Dish
has done some different studiesand like beef, even if it's
(29:00):
feedlot beef, it's gonna bebetter than processed foods.
And it's usually like okay, notideal, but okay.
But chicken and pork,definitely not.
Um, for one, it's dunked in achlorine bath um at processing.
Um, and that chicken can absorbup to 20% of that water, or it
can be injected with water.
Um, and so like on packaging,look for anything that says
(29:24):
usually a number and thenpercent retained water ins.
Do not buy that because that iswhat is happening to that.
Um, also, chicken, like they,if they're in confinement, it is
just like there's just nohealth benefits to that chicken
at all.
Um, versus beef, most cattleactually do spend the most of
their life on grass, and thenthe end of their life, um, they
(29:46):
go into a feed yacht lot.
And like that does affect themeat, but it's also gonna be a
cleaner meat because thoseanimals, cattle do have four
stomachs, and it's just gonna bea little bit of a cleaner meat.
So I would recommend um, well,first it's like, okay, what
really matters?
And good food affects ourhealth so much.
(30:08):
And so it's like I view it asan investment of like, okay,
what am I gonna invest in?
And I want to invest in myhealth.
Like, I want to feel well.
I want to not have a bunch ofmedical bills down the line, but
I want to feel that well.
And so it's like, I'm gonnainvest in good food.
And then there is ways to do itcost effective.
Um, usually, like buying inbulk is a great option.
(30:29):
Maybe that's buying a half orwhole cow.
Yeah, it's a lot of meat, butyou can split it with friends or
however that looks.
Um, but that's gonna be themost um economical way because
you get everything for the sameprice per pound, and it's gonna
be the lowest price per pound.
Um and yeah, I would um I'drecommend poultry and pork.
(30:52):
Okay.
Getting those from sources thatyou can trust and vouch for,
and then beef, like again,buying in bulk is a great
option.
Um and yeah, and just like itis a it is a worthwhile
investment.
Michele Folan (31:07):
All right, I went back up to chicken because God
knows we eat a lot of chicken.
And sometimes I can getair-chilled chicken.
Is that going to be better thanthe stuff that does not say
air-chilled?
Cloe Parker (31:24):
Yes, absolutely.
Yeah.
So kind of the different waysthat chicken is processed is
it's either air-chilled, whichis ideal, or it's run through um
a usually it's bleach, but theylike put it in a chemical bath
because it's high in E.
coli salmonilla, and so they'retrying to kill the
contaminants.
And that's usually why it'slike pasteurease or something
(31:44):
like that.
You'll see air-chilled, orsometimes it can be run through
a bath that does not containchemicals.
And so usually if you'relooking at grocery store and
labels, air chilled is gonna bemost ideal because it's also
it's also gonna be moreaffordable because they're
charged chicken by the pound.
And so if it's containing allthis water weight, you're paying
(32:07):
for the water weight.
Michele Folan (32:08):
Ah, okay.
That's good to know.
And I've been told by otherpeople that the pork industry in
itself is very dirty.
Like the the for processing andeverything is just kind of
gross.
So I appreciate what you saidabout pork.
Be very discriminating aboutwhere you're getting your pork.
(32:31):
So that's very interesting.
Cloe Parker (32:34):
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, making sure it's likepasture-raised and yeah, just
kind of pasture-raised or well,actually that, and then
sometimes you can have itwithout corn or soy.
That's a little harder to find,a little more pricey.
But ideally, yeah, it's bareminimum is like pasteurised, and
(32:55):
then kind of from there,there's different things.
But yeah, pork is definitelyone of those ones that can be
very gross.
Michele Folan (33:02):
I'm like, I have no, no pork in my house right
now.
So actually, we've got a poundof bacon, but I've been eating
very, very little pork.
Actually, in anticipation forthis conversation, I'm like, I
just can't, I just can't pullthe trigger on buying pork right
now.
So see, you've already, you'vealready tainted my my whole
(33:25):
shopping experience and what I'mbuying at the grocery store.
This is so funny.
I do have a huge freezer in thebasement that is typically
empty.
My husband bought this hugefreezer chest, oh gosh, four
years ago.
And every once in a while theremight be a couple steaks in
there that, you know, he'svacuum-packed or whatever, but
(33:46):
we definitely have anopportunity to probably fill it,
fill it up with some bettermeat than what we've been
buying.
I do want to know, Cloe, whatis your biggest hope for the
future of the meat packingindustry?
And and what role do consumersplay in creating that shift?
Cloe Parker (34:03):
Hmm, it's a great question.
I mean, I really hope we justgo back to like the way food is
designed to be.
And it's like, that is wholereal foods, that is beef from a
cow that ate grass, and justlike really back to just like
good foods.
Um, because 60% of the averageAmerican diet's from processed
foods, and there's just so manyharmful things to that.
(34:25):
And I think at the end of theday, um, it's all what we each
choose to do.
And I think also it's like foodis such a it's such a gathering
thing.
It like brings us together.
Um, and so it's like, well,what if what if we fed people
how we want to be fed?
And it's like, I want to feed,like, I want to be fed really
(34:46):
good food.
So the people I have around me,I'm gonna feed them really good
food.
Like my Christmas gifts thisyear, um, well, it does help I
have a meat company, but I'mliterally giving everybody meat
um because A, it's likesomething that we all usually
eat is meat, and it's such agood, useful gift, and it will
(35:07):
be enjoyed, but I also knowit'll like bring health to their
life.
And so, yeah, it's just like,how do we get back to just like
beef from a cow that ate grassor food grown in a garden or um
carrots with still a little bitof dirt on them from a farmer's
market or just whatever thatlooks like?
Um, and I think that's a choicethat we all get to vote on when
(35:28):
we go and buy food.
Michele Folan (35:30):
Yeah.
And you know, I try not to gettoo crazy, you know, about my
food in in terms of, you know, Ican only worry about so much
during my day, but there aresome things that I always,
always, always buy organicberries, apples.
You know, you can go to thedirty dozen and the clean 13 or
(35:53):
whatever, whatever, clean 16,whatever.
But they but you know, thatthey have the the list that you
can pull from, and that'shelpful, right?
So that that that you can startthere.
You can start by maybe buyingair chilled chicken, right?
Knowing where your pork comesfrom.
And then certainly, I thinkthere is a huge benefit to
(36:16):
checking out Parker Pastures ora local rancher in your area, go
go talk to them, you know, getonline, do a search, find those
people.
Because I I think there's, youknow, an opportunity here, not
just about eating healthy, butalso supporting family
businesses.
Well, we we all talk aboutshopping local, but you know,
(36:38):
we've got these familybusinesses that are out there do
trying to do things right.
And I I love what you're doing.
I really do.
And on that note, if I were toorder products from you, how do
you like how do you ship it?
Because it's coming fromColorado to Cincinnati, Ohio.
Tell me a little bit about thatprocess.
Cloe Parker (37:01):
It's a great question.
Um, yeah, so everything isgonna come in an insulated box
and all the meat will be frozen,and then we use dry ice to keep
it frozen.
Usually it's evaporated by thetime it gets to you.
Um, and we just use UPS.
So usually um we ship earlierin the week so it gets there and
doesn't get there and sitovernight on the weekend.
(37:23):
Um, and usually we'll arrivewithin two to three days um
after we ship, and so supereasy.
And then plus, you don't evenhave to go to the store, you
just get a box of meat justdelivered to your door, yeah,
and it's frozen, and so it'sjust super, super easy, is also
kind of what we try to do aswell, um, and just eliminate a
lot of the a lot of thevariables um to just make it
(37:46):
really easy.
Michele Folan (37:46):
All right, and then I have a question for you,
Cloe.
This is more of a personalquestion.
You're busy, you're busy, youngwoman.
How do you find balance?
And what is one of yourself-care non-negotiables?
What's something that you dofor yourself every day?
Cloe Parker (38:03):
The first one that comes to mind is I eat a lot of
meat.
I don't know why.
I think I mean everyone's we'reall of our bodies are
different, but I know I'msomeone who needs a lot of
protein.
And so it's like, okay, if Iget just some red meat in the
day, and like that's kind of myfoundation, um, I know that I'm
gonna have better energy andjust gonna feel better.
(38:25):
And the other, like the biggestthing for me um is just um my
faith and just that this is thislife is really short um and
eternity is long, and I Ibelieve in Jesus.
And so I know that because ofthat, I've been there's a lot of
things I'm called to stewardand do.
(38:45):
One of that is Parker Pastures,and there's been a lot of times
that it almost could havecrumbled, but supernaturally it
didn't.
And so I think my faith isreally what what keeps me um
solid, because also it can itcan be a lot.
Um, and so that's somethingthat helps me not go nuts.
And I also know like if I eat abunch of sugar or something
(39:06):
like that, it's just it's justnot gonna really help anything.
So I think those are those aresome of them.
Michele Folan (39:11):
Well, as a as a health coach of midlife women, I
you know, I encourage them allto get at least a hundred to 110
grams of protein a day.
And you know, for some it itcan be really hard, but you're
lucky you've got you've got itright there, always available,
and you've got the best, thebest in the world.
(39:33):
I I can only assume.
All right, Cloe Parker, wherecan the listeners find Parker
Pastures and order your productsand learn more about your ranch
and your mission?
Cloe Parker (39:43):
Parkerpastures.com.
Um, we have grass fed beef,grass fed bison, grass fed lamb,
pasture-raised chicken.
And you can order all of thatonline.
Um, we have pretty much everyoption you could think of, and
we will deliver it straight toyour door.
And then um if you kind of wantTo hear more dirty secrets.
And um I've been recently likegoing to grocery stores and kind
(40:05):
of debunking labels.
So Parker Pastures Grass Fed onInstagram is kind of more
education.
Michele Folan (40:12):
Okay.
Oh, that's great.
I'll check that out.
I didn't I didn't know that.
Ah, you you know I'm gonna beon that as soon as we uh get off
this call.
Oh, Cloe Parker, this wasreally informative, super
interesting, and I certainlywish you the best in your
business.
Thank you so much, and thankyou for having me on.
(40:34):
Thank you for listening.
Please rate and review thepodcast where you listen.
And if you'd like to join theAsking for a Friend community,
click on the link in the shownotes to sign up for my weekly
newsletter where I share midlifewellness and fitness tips,
insights, my favorite finds, andrecipes.
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